The Startup CPG Podcast #95 GT Dave - Founder & CEO of GT’s Living Foods: 25+ years of building the kombucha industry one batch at a time
I don’t usually like to play favorites, but this week’s episode is a really special interview, especially for me personally. I LOVE kombucha. I mean love kombucha. And as you’ll hear me mention during the interview, once I found Synergy Kombucha by GT’s Living Foods, I was hooked, and dug deep into the story of the brand, how it’s made, and started following founder GT Dave. I’ve listened to many interviews with GT over the years, so the chance to be the interviewer and spend some time with GT, is a personal dream come true. I also really thought that GT could offer a really interesting perspective to our community. He’s had multiple offers to acquire his company over the years and has taken on no outside investment, which is incredible for a nearly billion dollar brand that owns 40% of the kombucha market. For almost 30 years, he’s operated as the 100% owner and as you’ll hear, has no plans for that to change. I think there’s room for so many different operating models and perspectives in this space, and part of the fun of my job is getting to share different perspectives, hoping that you’ll be able to find and take pieces that resonate with you as you build your own adventure.
If you aren’t familiar with GT’s Living Foods, you’ve no doubt seen the ubiquitous tall glass bottles with a white lotus - the Synergy line is oven what people recognize. GT was the first person to bottle kombucha back in 1995 after his parents received a SCOBY from a friend after a trip to the Himalayas - and this was well before you could Google making kombucha! As you’ll hear GT mention, he saw kombucha become part of his parents’ lives, help his mom while recovering from cancer, and he decided to try to sell a few bottles to the local health store as 15 year old who had dropped out of high school. He then got the product into Erewhon and Whole Foods and has grown steadily - while other kombuchas have entered the market and now it’s a whole separate category. GT continues to innovate in the living foods space with ancient mushroom elixirs, non-dairy water kefir, and raw, fermented, non-dairy, coconut yogurt. I’ve linked a few of my favorite other interviews with GT in the show notes in case you want to dig into more of the founder story - today’s conversation we really focus on leadership, culture, hiring, and health and priorities as a founder.
Listen in as GT shares about:
- How fermenting kombucha is similar to farming and how their manufacturing footprint has grown
- GT’s first hires and learnings and why he focuses on culture fit
- What it’s look like to grow a profitable business with no outside investment
- Why he’s taken a long-term view on building GT’s Living Foods
- His advice for starting new categories and educating consumers
- How they manage a massive brand ambassador force
- What health and wellness looks like day to day and his tips for prioritizing and the importance of communicating and setting expectations in relationships as a founder
- How he manages being a public figure and why he’s chosen to be a visible face of the brand
- We have some fun with questions about his love of animals and pets and halloween
- And so much more!
This episode was sponsored by Shopify. Go to shopify.com/startupcpg
This episode was sponsored by Maven Agency. Go to strategymavenagency.com
This episode was sponsored by Promomash + Crisp. Go to promomash.com/startupcpg
Episode Links:
- GT’s Living Foods website
- GT’s LinkedIn
- A few of Jessi’s favorite other interview’s with GT:
- Stick with Your Dreams Episode 26 (hosted by David Greenfeld another Startup CPG Podcast guest)
- John & Ken Show Hour 3 (12/28)
- The Gabby Reece Show: ****GT DAVE – MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR ENTREPRENEUR WITH A MISSION
- Taste Radio: GT DAVE HAS A REFRESHING TAKE ON HIS ICONIC BRAND
- Visiting the Kombucha Lair
Shopify Links:
- Start a free trial and enjoy 2 months of Shopify for $1/month
Strategy Maven Agency Links:
Promomash/Crisp Links:
- Try Promomash + Crisp free for 30 days here
- Webinar recording: Promomash + Crisp Present: The Next Big Thing in WFM Demo Analytics
- Webinar recording: Distributor Data 101: 5 Things Brands Should Be Tracking and Why
Show Links:
- Join the Startup CPG Slack community (12K+ members and growing!)
- Follow @startupcpg
- Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website
- Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at podcast@startupcpg.com
- Episode music by Super Fantastics